# Cis Eks V160 3.1.4

> Ensure that the kubelet configuration file ownership is set to root:root (Automated)

- Skill: `cyberstrikeus/cis-eks-v160-3-1-4` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cyberstrikeus/cis-eks-v160-3-1-4`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cyberstrikeus/cis-eks-v160-3-1-4/raw
- Safety review: PASS (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector WARNING)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: cyberstrikeus (https://skillmd.com/u/cyberstrikeus)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cyberstrikeus/cis-eks-v160-3-1-4

---


# 3.1.4 Ensure that the kubelet configuration file ownership is set to root:root (Automated)

## Profile Applicability

- Level 1

## Description

Ensure that if the kubelet refers to a configuration file with the `--config` argument, that file is owned by root:root.

## Rationale

The kubelet reads various parameters, including security settings, from a config file specified by the `--config` argument. If this file is specified you should restrict its file permissions to maintain the integrity of the file. The file should be writable by only the administrators on the system.

## Audit Procedure

**Method 1 - SSH to the relevant worker node:**

To check to see if the Kubelet Service is running:

```bash
sudo systemctl status kubelet
```

The output should return `Active: active (running) since..`.

Run the following command on each node to find the appropriate Kubelet config file:

```bash
ps -ef | grep kubelet
```

The output of the above command should return something similar to `--config /etc/kubernetes/kubelet/config.json` which is the location of the Kubelet config file.

Run the following command:

```bash
stat -c %U:%G /etc/kubernetes/kubelet/config.json
```

The output of the above command is the Kubelet config file's ownership. Verify that the ownership is set to `root:root`.

**Method 2 - Create and Run a Privileged Pod:**

You will need to run a pod that is privileged enough to access the host's file system. This can be achieved by deploying a pod that uses the hostPath volume to mount the node's file system into the pod.

```yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: file-check
spec:
  volumes:
    - name: host-root
      hostPath:
        path: /
        type: Directory
  containers:
    - name: nsenter
      image: busybox
      command: ["sleep", "3600"]
      volumeMounts:
        - name: host-root
          mountPath: /host
      securityContext:
        privileged: true
```

Save this to a file (e.g., file-check-pod.yaml) and create the pod:

```bash
kubectl apply -f file-check-pod.yaml
```

Once the pod is running, you can exec into it to check file ownership on the node:

```bash
kubectl exec -it file-check -- sh
```

Now you are in a shell inside the pod, but you can access the node's file system through the /host directory and check the ownership of the file:

```bash
ls -l /host/etc/kubernetes/kubelet/config.json
```

The output of the above command gives you the config file's ownership. Verify that the ownership is set to `root:root`.

## Remediation

Run the following command (using the config file location identified in the Audit step):

```bash
chown root:root /etc/kubernetes/kubelet/config.json
```

## Default Value

See the AWS EKS documentation for the default value.

## References

1. [https://kubernetes.io/docs/admin/kube-proxy/](https://kubernetes.io/docs/admin/kube-proxy/)

## CIS Controls

| Controls Version | Control                                 | IG 1 | IG 2 | IG 3 |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------- | ---- | ---- | ---- |
| v8               | 3.3 Configure Data Access Control Lists | X    | X    | X    |
| v7               | 5.2 Maintain Secure Images              |      | X    | X    |